H.R. 10373
Protecting Workers' Wages from Medical Debt Act
Sponsor: Robert C. "Bobby" Scott
Official summary
No official summary yet.
Text of the bill
This Act may be cited as the Protecting Workers' Wages from Medical Debt Act.
(a) In general. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 7 the following:
8. Prohibition on wage garnishment for medical debts
(a) In general. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no wages of an employee may be subject to garnishment for the payment of any medical debt.
(b) Prohibition on courts and States. No court of the United States or any State, and no State (or officer or agency thereof), may make, execute, or enforce any order or process in violation of this section.
(c) Definitions. In this section:
(1) Garnishment. The term garnishment means any legal or equitable procedure through which the wages of any individual are required to be withheld for payment of any medical debt.
(2) Medical debt. .The term medical debt means a debt arising from the furnishing of items and services by a health care facility or health care provider (as defined in section 101(6) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2611(6)).
(b) Conforming amendment. Section 10 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 210) is repealed.
(c) Effective date. This Act shall take effect on the date that is 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.